The African Speculative Fiction Society (ASFS) has shortlisted five works for the Nommo Award for Best Speculative Fiction Graphic Novel by an African in 2026, and reigning champion John Uche features twice, across two different projects.
Uche and artist Francis Goodluck won the category last year for Celestial Eyes Vol. 1, published by Nigerian studio The Machine. The pair are shortlisted again this year for Celestial Eyes Vol. 2: The Second Cycle, an occult-detective series following Onwanuju, a supernatural investigator whose story draws on Igbo cosmology. Uche also appears a second time on this year’s ballot as one of three credited writers behind Worlds: A One-shot Anthology, alongside letterer Cuisel Peach and editor Lord Blue, both of whom worked with him on the winning Celestial Eyes team last year. Worlds brings in four illustrators – Stone Othor, Francis Goodluck, Gabriel Onche and Jeremiah Abah, making it the most collaborative entry on this year’s list.
The full 2026 Graphic Novel shortlist, in alphabetical order, is:
- Gerald Vreden and Hakeem Rafai, for Rise of The Mafu #1: The Awakening
- John Uche and Francis Goodluck, for Celestial Eyes Vol. 2: The Second Cycle
- John Uche, Cuisel Peach and Lord Blue, with artists Stone Othor, Francis Goodluck, Gabriel Onche and Jeremiah Abah, for Worlds: A One-shot Anthology
- Juni Ba, for The Fables of Erlking Wood
- Owoade Ifeoluwa, for Hounds and Jackals
Beyond the Uche-Goodluck axis, the shortlist draws from three countries. Nigeria carries the heaviest weight, with Uche, Goodluck, Peach, Blue and the Worlds art team based there, alongside Owoade Ifeoluwa, whose psychological thriller Hounds and Jackals is published by Lagos-based Symphonii Studios. Ifeoluwa’s work was profiled by TheACE earlier this year, examining its use of cinematic panelling and its themes of crime and theology. Rise of The Mafu comes out of the Netherlands, created by writer Gerald Vreden with illustrator Hakeem Rafai; the graphic novel is one instalment of Vreden’s wider His Story of the World universe, an Afrofuturist project rooted in Afro-Caribbean mythology that he develops through First Noble, an Amsterdam-based institute for Afro-Caribbean arts and culture that he co-founded. Senegal is represented by Juni Ba, an established international name in the comics industry with writing and art credits for Marvel, DC and Image Comics, including his own acclaimed graphic novels Djeliya and Monkey Meat.
Based on the public record, this appears to be the first Nommo nomination for Vreden, Rafai, Ba, and Ifeoluwa, while Uche, Goodluck, Peach, and Blue are returning nominees, fresh off last year’s win. Notably, three of this year’s five shortlisted works – Rise of The Mafu, Worlds: A One-shot Anthology and Hounds and Jackals – were also nominated at the 2026 Glyph Comics Awards in the United States, a prize honouring Black creators in comics, pointing to overlapping recognition for African graphic novels across award circuits this year.
The Nommo Awards, now marking their ninth nomination cycle since launching in 2017, are presented by the ASFS, a body of African writers, editors, publishers, graphic artists and filmmakers founded in 2016. This year’s full shortlist, spanning 20 works and 24 creators across the Novel, Novella, Short Story and Graphic Novel categories, was announced during the first virtual session of this year’s LA Con, the 84th Worldcon, and shared publicly by Gabrielle Emem Harry, the 2024 Nommo Award winner for Best Short Story.
ASFS members are now voting to determine winners across all four categories. Voting opened on Monday, 31 August 2026, and closes on 1 November 2026, with results to be announced at a later date.
This article was compiled using publicly available information from the African Speculative Fiction Society and independent reporting.
——————————————————–
——————————————————–
AI Use at TheACE
TheACE uses artificial intelligence tools to support research, drafting and analysis across Africa’s creative industries. All content is verified, edited and approved by our human editorial team to ensure accuracy, clarity and responsible storytelling. AI assists our work; it does not replace human judgment.
